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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701859">Close to Godliness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/asuralucier/pseuds/asuralucier'>asuralucier</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Saiyuki Gaiden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cleaning as an excuse not to talk about anything else, Established Relationship, M/M, Quiet Misery, That missing scene before everything goes to shit, ambiguous morals, moody, sharing a cigarette</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:49:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>646</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/asuralucier/pseuds/asuralucier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenren helps Tenpou clean his study, and the pair contemplate the nature of goodness.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kenren Taishou/Tenpou Gensui</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Chocolate Box - Round 5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Close to Godliness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/skysedge/gifts">skysedge</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kenren fought the urge to sneeze.</p><p>Part of him wanted to ask if it counted as spring cleaning if Tenpou just shoved everything he didn’t want into large cloth bags and dumped them into the hallway, therefore making it someone else’s problem. It wasn’t even fucking spring. The study’s floor was now spotless, save for the familiar frog ashtray in its pride of place, beside Tenpou’s elbow. </p><p>Usually, Tenpou looked right at home in the mess with his unkempt hair, wrinkled white coat, and glasses flecked with ancient dust. But now, with his inner sanctum sparkling clean, the other man looked lost, as if he was just another thing to be bagged and thrown out. </p><p>It was probably not an accident. Nothing with Tenpou was ever an accident, even though the man liked to think of himself as hairbrained and clumsy. </p><p>“It doesn’t smell right, does it?” Tenpou said, gazing up at him. His gaze stayed completely still the way his hands didn’t. Tenpou was always good with his hands, even though Kenren appreciated one or two things that Tenpou could do with his hands in particular. Since it’d gotten to the point where everybody thought Kenren just went where his dick told him to, he might as well own it. </p><p>Besides, it wasn’t as if Tenpou minded. </p><p>“It fucking stinks,” Kenren agreed, “You know what you got to do? Ask Konzen what he uses when he does his spring cleaning.” </p><p>“That’s not what I mean,” Tenpou said, just a little put out. His hands moved fast, as if he was trying to keep his panic literally in hand. His thumb kept flicking over the spark wheel to no avail. Finally, he gave up and tossed the lighter aside. Although Tenpou hadn’t been paying close attention, the lighter still landed with a neat little <i>ping</i> against the rim of the wastebasket that he kept beside his desk. Tenpou took his as yet unlit cigarette out of his mouth and stared morosely at it. </p><p>“I think I need a new lighter.” </p><p>Kenren sank down and leaned over him, plucking the cigarette out of the other man’s hand. “Or you can just use mine.” He lit up without any trouble, took a drag—yeah, that hit the spot, before handing it back. The existence of Kenren’s spit clinging to the filter seemed to be the push that Tenpou needed.</p><p>“When did we become good people, Kenren?” </p><p>That forced a laugh or a snort out of Kenren, although the sound had first wanted to become something else—something <i>better</i>—before giving up, too. He made himself as comfortable as he could on the floor of Tenpou’s study, although his spine, more used to fighting against the spines of unruly volumes strewn all over, protested at the tidiness of his surroundings. Truly, this was the Heavens turned upside down. </p><p>“That what you think?” </p><p>“I don’t know what to think. Guess I’m just trying out different things. Here.” </p><p>Kenren accepted the cigarette as Tenpou passed it back to him. He blew smoke towards the ceiling and breathed it back in, wanting the smell to wash away the stink of everything else. “I think we’re just as selfish as we ever were. Goku just showed us we could put it to good—better use. That’s all. Lie to ourselves better.” </p><p>Kenren was a leading general of the Western Army; he’d never before feared death in his life, even though he lived with it, and sent others to such a fate on a nearly daily basis. And yet now he feared death, in the very weird space of Tenpou’s clean study as he turned on his side. Tenpou turned towards him too, and they kissed, each chasing the taste of nicotine in each other's mouths. What Kenren feared most of all was that he’d never get to have another goddamn cigarette ever again.</p>
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